Observational Study on Anti-Tat Immune Response in HIV-1-infected HAART-treated Adult Subjects (ISS OBS T-002)

Observational Study With Additional Diagnostic Procedures on Anti-Tat Immune Response in HIV-1-infected HAART-treated Adult Subjects

The present study is designed as a prospective observational study directed at evaluating the frequency, magnitude, quality and persistence (primary endpoint) of the anti-Tat immune response in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-receiving HIV-1 infected individuals, and to prospectively evaluate the immunological, virological and clinical outcome of anti-Tat positive versus anti-Tat negative subjects under successful HAART (secondary endpoint), in order to determine the impact of anti-Tat immunity on HIV disease progression as well as the potential use of anti-Tat immune response assessment for the clinical and therapeutic management of HAART-treated infected patients. This survey provided important information for the design, planning and conduction of future therapeutic vaccine trials based on the HIV-1 Tat protein in HAART-treated patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: HIV Infection

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 142

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Italy
  • Bari, Italy
    • General Hospital of Bari
  • Brescia, Italy
    • Spedali Civili di Brescia
  • Ferrara, Italy
    • General Hospital-University of Ferrara
  • Florence, Italy
    • A.M. Annunziata Hospital
  • Milan, Italy
    • San Raffaele Hospital
  • Milan, Italy
    • L. Sacco Hospital
  • Modena, Italy, 41100
    • General Hospital-University of Modena
  • Rome, Italy
    • San Gallicano Hospital
  • Torino, Italy
    • Amedeo di Savoia Hospital
  • Rome
    • Latina, Rome, Italy
      • S.M. Goretti Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Hiv-1-infected haart-treated adult subjects

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of HIV-1 infection
• To be under successful HAART treatment with plasma viremia <50 copies/ml in the last 6 months prior to initiation of the study, without a history of virologic rebound
• Known CD4+ T cells nadir
• Age ≥ 18 years old
• Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current therapy with immunomodulators or immunosuppressive drugs, or chemotherapy for neoplastic disorders
• Concomitant treatment for HBV or HCV infection

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Assessment of anti-Tat antibodies in sera of subjects, and of the proliferative response (CFSE) and the production of γIFN, IL-4 and IL-2 (Elispot) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to Tat.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
The decline of CD4+ T cell counts, the increase of HIV plasma viral load or the occurrence of AIDS-defining events were assessed to determine progression to disease.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Barbara Ensoli, MD
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Roberto Esposito, MD, Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria Policlinico di Modena, Modena, Italy; Principal Investigator: Giovanni Di Perri, MD, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Turin, Italy; Principal Investigator: Massimo Galli, MD, L. Sacco Hospital- Milan, Italy; Principal Investigator: Giampiero Carosi, MD, "Spedali Civili" di Brescia , Brescia, Italy; Principal Investigator: Florio Ghinelli, MD, Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; Principal Investigator: Francesco Mazzotta, MD, S. M. Annunziata Hospital, Florence, Italy; Principal Investigator: Guido Palamara, MD, S. Gallicano Hospital- Rome, Italy; Principal Investigator: Fabrizio Soscia, MD, S. M. Goretti Hospital- Latina, Italy; Principal Investigator: Giuseppe Pastore, MD, "Ospedale Policlinico Consorziale"-Bari, Italy

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ensoli B, Fiorelli V, Ensoli F, Cafaro A, Titti F, Butto S, Monini P, Magnani M, Caputo A, Garaci E. Candidate HIV-1 Tat vaccine development: from basic science to clinical trials. AIDS. 2006 Nov 28;20(18):2245-61. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e3280112cd1. No abstract available.
• Bellino S, Tripiciano A, Picconi O, Francavilla V, Longo O, Sgadari C, Paniccia G, Arancio A, Angarano G, Ladisa N, Lazzarin A, Tambussi G, Nozza S, Torti C, Foca E, Palamara G, Latini A, Sighinolfi L, Mazzotta F, Di Pietro M, Di Perri G, Bonora S, Mercurio VS, Mussini C, Gori A, Galli M, Monini P, Cafaro A, Ensoli F, Ensoli B. The presence of anti-Tat antibodies in HIV-infected individuals is associated with containment of CD4+ T-cell decay and viral load, and with delay of disease progression: results of a 3-year cohort study. Retrovirology. 2014 Jun 24;11:49. doi: 10.1186/1742-4690-11-49.
• Ensoli B, Cafaro A, Monini P, Marcotullio S, Ensoli F. Challenges in HIV Vaccine Research for Treatment and Prevention. Front Immunol. 2014 Sep 8;5:417. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00417. eCollection 2014.
• Ensoli F, Cafaro A, Casabianca A, Tripiciano A, Bellino S, Longo O, Francavilla V, Picconi O, Sgadari C, Moretti S, Cossut MR, Arancio A, Orlandi C, Sernicola L, Maggiorella MT, Paniccia G, Mussini C, Lazzarin A, Sighinolfi L, Palamara G, Gori A, Angarano G, Di Pietro M, Galli M, Mercurio VS, Castelli F, Di Perri G, Monini P, Magnani M, Garaci E, Ensoli B. HIV-1 Tat immunization restores immune homeostasis and attacks the HAART-resistant blood HIV DNA: results of a randomized phase II exploratory clinical trial. Retrovirology. 2015 Apr 29;12:33. doi: 10.1186/s12977-015-0151-y.
• Cafaro A, Tripiciano A, Sgadari C, Bellino S, Picconi O, Longo O, Francavilla V, Butto S, Titti F, Monini P, Ensoli F, Ensoli B. Development of a novel AIDS vaccine: the HIV-1 transactivator of transcription protein vaccine. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2015;15 Suppl 1:S13-29. doi: 10.1517/14712598.2015.1021328. Epub 2015 Jun 22.
• Monini P, Cafaro A, Srivastava IK, Moretti S, Sharma VA, Andreini C, Chiozzini C, Ferrantelli F, Cossut MR, Tripiciano A, Nappi F, Longo O, Bellino S, Picconi O, Fanales-Belasio E, Borsetti A, Toschi E, Schiavoni I, Bacigalupo I, Kan E, Sernicola L, Maggiorella MT, Montin K, Porcu M, Leone P, Leone P, Collacchi B, Palladino C, Ridolfi B, Falchi M, Macchia I, Ulmer JB, Butto S, Sgadari C, Magnani M, Federico MP, Titti F, Banci L, Dallocchio F, Rappuoli R, Ensoli F, Barnett SW, Garaci E, Ensoli B. HIV-1 tat promotes integrin-mediated HIV transmission to dendritic cells by binding Env spikes and competes neutralization by anti-HIV antibodies. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e48781. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048781. Epub 2012 Nov 13.
• Ensoli B, Bellino S, Tripiciano A, Longo O, Francavilla V, Marcotullio S, Cafaro A, Picconi O, Paniccia G, Scoglio A, Arancio A, Ariola C, Ruiz Alvarez MJ, Campagna M, Scaramuzzi D, Iori C, Esposito R, Mussini C, Ghinelli F, Sighinolfi L, Palamara G, Latini A, Angarano G, Ladisa N, Soscia F, Mercurio VS, Lazzarin A, Tambussi G, Visintini R, Mazzotta F, Di Pietro M, Galli M, Rusconi S, Carosi G, Torti C, Di Perri G, Bonora S, Ensoli F, Garaci E. Therapeutic immunization with HIV-1 Tat reduces immune activation and loss of regulatory T-cells and improves immune function in subjects on HAART. PLoS One. 2010 Nov 11;5(11):e13540. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013540.
• Ensoli B, Buonaguro L, Barillari G, Fiorelli V, Gendelman R, Morgan RA, Wingfield P, Gallo RC. Release, uptake, and effects of extracellular human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat protein on cell growth and viral transactivation. J Virol. 1993 Jan;67(1):277-87. doi: 10.1128/JVI.67.1.277-287.1993.
• Andre P, Groettrup M, Klenerman P, de Giuli R, Booth BL Jr, Cerundolo V, Bonneville M, Jotereau F, Zinkernagel RM, Lotteau V. An inhibitor of HIV-1 protease modulates proteasome activity, antigen presentation, and T cell responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Oct 27;95(22):13120-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.22.13120.
• Arya SK, Guo C, Josephs SF, Wong-Staal F. Trans-activator gene of human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III). Science. 1985 Jul 5;229(4708):69-73. doi: 10.1126/science.2990040.
• Ensoli B, Barillari G, Salahuddin SZ, Gallo RC, Wong-Staal F. Tat protein of HIV-1 stimulates growth of cells derived from Kaposi's sarcoma lesions of AIDS patients. Nature. 1990 May 3;345(6270):84-6. doi: 10.1038/345084a0.
• Tripiciano A, Picconi O, Moretti S, Sgadari C, Cafaro A, Francavilla V, Arancio A, Paniccia G, Campagna M, Pavone-Cossut MR, Sighinolfi L, Latini A, Mercurio VS, Pietro MD, Castelli F, Saracino A, Mussini C, Perri GD, Galli M, Nozza S, Ensoli F, Monini P, Ensoli B. Anti-Tat immunity defines CD4+ T-cell dynamics in people living with HIV on long-term cART. EBioMedicine. 2021 Apr;66:103306. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103306. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2008
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 1, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): December 2, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 4, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2016
• Last Verified: March 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: HIV, HAART
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Lentivirus Infections; Retroviridae Infections; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Immune System Diseases; HIV Infections
• Other Study ID Numbers: ISS OBS T-002